Guilty plea expected in Quincy triple slaying

CHAMBERSBURG - A Waynesboro man charged with killing three and kidnapping his daughter last summer is expected to plead guilty this Friday before Franklin County Judge Shawn Meyers.

Kevin Matthew Cleeves, 36, will enter guilty pleas to three counts of first degree murder and receive consecutive life sentences, according to Franklin County District Attorney Matt Fogal in a news release.

Fogal said he consulted extensively with the surviving family members and Pennsylvania State Police before agreeing to the proposed sentences.
"I have considered many factors, not the least of which is the potential emotional trauma to be inflicted upon the innocent young girl who witnessed her mother's murder, if she were to be called as a witness in a trial," he said.

Cleeves, who is being held without bail in Franklin County Jail, is accused of shooting three people to death after a July 27 child custody dispute in a Quincy Township driveway - his estranged wife Brandi Cleeves, 25; her boyfriend Vincent "Luke" Santucci, 28; and Santucci's mother, Rosemary Holma, 55.

He also allegedly kidnapped his then 4-year-old daughter, Leia Cleeves, who had been with her mother at the time, and fled with her across state lines.

On November 28, Kevin Cleeves pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, which include three counts of criminal homicide, kidnapping a minor, unlawful restraint of a minor, two counts of unlawful possession of a fire arm, interference with custody of children and endangering the welfare of children.

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Fogal had announced earlier in November that he intended to seek the death penalty for Kevin Cleeves citing aggravating circumstances, according to previous reports.

The first, Fogal said, is that Kevin Cleeves committed each murder while in perpetration of additional felonies - the other murders and the alleged kidnapping of his daughter.

The others alleged are that Cleeves knowingly created a grave risk of death to his daughter, and that he allegedly committed multiple murders.

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Samantha Cossick can be reached at scossick@publicopinionnews.com and 262-4762.